UN envoy visits Yemen for talks on key port city

AFP  |  Sanaa 

The for arrived in today for another round of talks aimed at finding a solution to fighting in the key rebel-held port city of

He did not make a statement upon his arrival at the Yemeni capital's international airport.

Two weeks of UN-brokered talks have not yet found a solution to the government offensive on Hodeida, backed by the and its allies in a Saudi-led regional coalition supporting

The offensive has raised fears of for civilians in a country already devastated by years of war between the Iran-backed Huthis and Hadi's Gulf-backed government.

The yesterday said it had halted the offensive to give a chance to UN diplomatic efforts.

port is the entry port for some 70 per cent of imports to Yemen, where eight million people face imminent famine.

Both the UAE and the have held firm to their rejection of anything short of a full withdrawal.

Griffiths has said a proposal to grant the UN a major role in managing the port was being studied.

The UN met with Hadi in the southern city of on Wednesday and is reported to be pushing for the Huthis to cede control of Hodeida to the UN.

He was also in on Thursday, where he met top rebel Mohammed Abdulsalam, UN radio reported.

The Huthis have controlled Hodeida and its port since 2014, when they also drove the out of the capital and seized large swathes of northern

That sparked a Saudi-led intervention to prop up Hadi's government, since which some 10,000 people have died.

The fight for Hodeida has claimed 429 lives, according to and medical sources.

There are no confirmations of civilian casualties, although the UN has documented thousands of residents fleeing combat zones.

The has called the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Mon, July 02 2018. 17:55 IST